Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1956 [PAGE 870]

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1955]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

867

G R O U P LIFE I N S U R A N C E F O R A G R I C U L T U R E AND HOME E C O N O M I C S EXTENSION S T A F F (4) Several years ago, after extensive negotiation and study, it was ruled that employees in the Extension Service in Agriculture and Home Economics in the College of Agriculture whose salaries are paid in full or in part from federal funds and who have cooperative appointments from the United States Department of Agriculture shall be considered as federal employees for the purpose of retirement benefits and should participate in the Federal Retirement System and not the University Retirement System of Illinois. This change has been made and practically all such employees are now under the Federal Retirement System. In 1954, a program of group life insurance was made available to federal employees, but Extension Service employees were excluded. Recently, the Federal Civil Service Commission amended the regulations governing this program to make Extension Service employees holding cooperative appointments in the Department of Agriculture eligible to participate. The program provides that each participant shall receive $1,000 of life insurance for each $1,000, or fractional part thereof, of his annual salary from all sources plus an equal amount of group accidental death and dismemberment insurance. After age sixty-five, the amount of insurance is gradually reduced to 25 per cent of the salary at age sixty-five. The premium paid by the employee is fifty-four cents a month per $1,000 regardless of age, and the contribution required of the employer, in this case the University, is one-half the amount of the employee's premiums. T h e employer contribution is payable entirely from federal funds received by the University so that there is no problem of using state funds. If the University of Illinois participates in this program, the Business Office would be required to withhold employee premiums from salaries and remit the same to the United States government. The question of authorizing the Extension workers to participate in the federal group life insurance program has been considered by the Advisory Committee to the Board of Trustees of the University Retirement System of Illinois and by the University Committee on Insurance. Both have recommended participation in this program. The Dean of the College of Agriculture and the Comptroller recommend authorization of University participation in this program for cooperative Extension Service employees who are members of the Federal Retirement System and who are not participants in the University Retirement System, effective January I, 1956. I concur.

On motion of Mrs. Holt, this recommendation was approved.

SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR NONRECURRING EXPENDITURES (5) The Committee on Nonrecurring Appropriations recommends assignments of funds from the General Reserve as follows: 1. College of Pharmacy, equipment for the physics laboratory $22 000 2. Division of Biological Sciences, Chicago Undergraduate Division, modification and purchase of microscopes 9 744 3. Department of Bacteriology, remodeling 4 500 4. Department of Botany, purchase of the Mendel Museum 6 000 5. Library, improvement of lighting in main reading room 34 500 6. College of Veterinary Medicine, improvements of old buildings 9 900 7. College of Veterinary Medicine: Large Animal Clinic building, equipment 3 400 Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Histology, equipment I 042 Total $91 986 I concur.

On motion of Mr. Swain, these appropriations were made by the following vote: Aye, Mr. Bissell, Mr. Herrick, Mrs. Holt, Mr. Johnston, Mr. Livingston, Mr. Megran, Mr. Swain, Mrs. Watkins, Mr. Williamson; no, none; absent, Mr. Nickell, Mr. Stratton.

PRESIDENT'S OFFICE BUDGET (6) I request authorization of an increase of $4,500 in the annual operating budget of the President's Office to provide for the salary and incidental office expenses